One of Logitech G's more appreciated classic gaming mice is making a return. Today, the company announced it is bringing the MX518 out of retirement, but not without a few updates.

Logitech G's new take on the MX518 features the same classic shape while adding features gamers have come to appreciate since the original was retired. Added to the new MX518 is the company's HERO 16K sensor. From testing various mice that include the sensor, it's Logitech's most accurate gaming sensor, with a capture rate of up to 17,000 frames per second.

Although we've not tested this specific mouse, our experience with HERO has mostly puzzled out high precision levels, specifically on the G603.

The MX518 also includes onboard memory that will allow users to save up to five profiles using Logitech Gaming Software or the G HUB. Since these settings are saved to the mouse itself, players can take the peripheral with them and use any of the saved profiles without needing to download software on other computers.

To give players more control over the MX518, Logitech G has added buttons above and below the scroll wheel that allow for DPI adjustment on the fly. Changes to DPI can also be made using the LGS or the G HUB, or players can just opt for one of five default settings straight out of the box.

This being an update to a classic controller, fans won't have a lot of side buttons to fuss with, but they will have access to eight programmable buttons, which can be used for a variety of commands in game.

As for the rest of the mouse exterior, while it is the same shape as the original MX518, the materials have been updated to give it a more contemporary look.

The Logitech G MX518 Gaming Mouse is available to preorder now via the Logitech G site, as a price of $59.99.

Late last year, Sony announced that production of the PlayStation Vita would cease in 2019. At the time, the company did not provide an exact end date for the handheld and instead told gamers that supply would begin to wane "early" in the year.

According to a recent report from Gematsu, it appears that Sony has begun the process of scaling down Vita production in Japan, with the company's official Japanese website noting the affected models as PCH-2000 ZA11 and PCH-2000 ZA23.

Currently, there is no word on how this will immediately impact North America, but Sony Interactive Entertainment’s senior vice president Hiroyuki Oda has previously said that once manufacturing halts in Japan, "from there, shipping will end.”

It's worth pointing out that while we don't exactly know when "shipping will end," or what markets will be impacted first outside of Japan, we do know that in 2017, former president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment America Shawn Layden told the Verge that North American and European sales for the platform had never "gotten over the hump."

Vita is still a viable platform, chiefly in the Japanese and Asian markets. We still have developers in Japan who are building for that platform. But it just didn’t get over the hump in Europe and America. It’s hard to know exactly why, but it didn’t garner a large enough audience here for us to continue to build for it.

Although there have been recent demos and game releases for the platform, and there are still games set for release on the Vita in 2019, figures show that Vita sales have dropped off considerably in all markets over the last two years.

Additionally, there is no official word on if any of the Vita's currently unreleased games, such as Battle Princess Madelyn or Shovel Knight: King of Cards, will ship on the platform this year. Currently, online storefronts such as Newegg and Amazon still have Vita systems available for purchase, albeit Amazon's offerings are primarily from third-party vendors.

The PlayStation Vita launched in 2011, alongside Nintendo's 3DS. While the handheld showed signs of promise early in its cycle, it struggled to gain a considerable foothold in North America.

According to an Engadget report, Nintendo's 3DS sold more than 70 million in the seven years between 2011 and 2018. In the same time period, the Vita sold only 22% of that total, or 16 million units.

It's too bad the system never took off for Sony, as it was home to fun and unique games, many of which were perfect for a handheld system.

Today, MAINGEAR announced two new notebooks designed specifically for gamers and content creators. The new Pulse 15and Pulse 17gaming notebooks use the NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUS, and allow owners to play the latest games and easily run content creation software, including graphics and video creation programs.

The Pulse series comes with either 15" or 17" 1080p displays -- hence the names -- and are ultra-thin. The Pulse 15 is .86" thick when closed and weighs 4.4 lbs, while the Pulse 17 is .98" thick and weighs 5.2 lbs. Both features a back-lit mechanical keyboard with controllable lighting and replaceable keycaps. This makes them the thinnest laptop available with mechanical keys.

As for graphics, the Pulse 17 does offer a slightly better graphics card than the Pulse 15. The former runs an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q while the latter has a 2060.

Both computers can be purchased with up to 2TB of storage space (according to the press release, the site says 4TB) in the form of 970 Pro NVMe M.2 SSDs from Samsung. Both will also allow for up to 32GB of DDR4 memory.

As with any laptop that's sold as a gaming rig with promises to perform as well as a desktop PC, players may be concerned about the possible heat issues -- especially with these being so thin. According to MAINGEAR, the Pulse line is designed to stay cool using a dual fan copper pipe cooling system. This system is "thermally balanced to deliver maximum performance with minimum noise."

For those concerned about how their laptop looks on the outside, the standard look of the Pulse series is fairly clean -- with either a black or silver, brushed stainless-steel look. But those wanting something more flashy can order theirs in a variety of MARC III texture finishes. (This is an automotive paint finish, so it won't just peel off.) Purchasers can even upload their own art to be used as the finish.

Of course, all these options will make the price of the Pulse laptops vary, but the base price starts at $1,499 for the Pulse 15 and $1,899 for the Pulse 17. That said, buyers can easily run that price up to over $4,000.

PlayStation 4 players in dire need of extra drive space, but who might be concerned about getting a drive that will easily work with the system, have something to look forward to. Yesterday, Sony and Seagate unveiled a 2TB external hard drive specifically for the PlayStation 4 system.

Title the Game Drive, the new HDD is optimized for use with the PS4 and is officially branded to go alongside the system.

Reportedly, the drive is easier to set up than other third-party solutions and uses a USB cable to connect to the system. It's lightweight and portable, and best of all will have enough space for approximately 50 average-sized games, freeing up some of the space on the PS4's internal drive.

For those concerned that playing games from an external drive will cause issues such as stuttering or delays, for example, Seagate promises there won't be any difference between it and the PlayStation 4's internal drive. So anyone using it will experience full-speed gaming.

The compact design, coupled with the fact that the drive has been optimized to work with every model of PS4 running system update 4.50 or higher allows players to take the drive with them everywhere they go. Seagate Game Drive owners should note that they will need to be logged into their account on any system they elect to use the drive on since save files won't be transferrable to the drive.

Price-wise, the Seagate Game Drive is a bit expensive compared to other 2TB external drives. A quick look at Amazon shows starting prices between $60 and $70, although some do skew higher. In comparison, the Seagate Game Drive will run $89.99 when it's made available sometime next week.

It's worth noting that Sony just revealed that it will be expanding its cloud storage size to 100GB in February for PlayStation Plus subscribers.

I'm sure we can all agree that a touch screen is not the most ideal way to play most games, including a large portion of mobile games. However, even though an increasing amount of mobile games are controller compatible, there aren't a lot of controllers that work with mobile devices.

Of the ones that do, which one should you choose?

To help answer that question, I took a look at the wired Rotor Riot, a controller boasting compatibility with Android devices and drones. I don't dabble in drones, so I purely tested the controller with games on my phone just as you would probably do.

To put things lightly, the results were a mixed bag.

The Rotor Riot connects to Android devices via USB-C, and it comes already attached to a mount for your phone. The mount is sturdy, much like the rest of the controller.

Once you get the controller in your hands, it's got the sort of weight and plasticy quality you'd expect from an Xbox One or PlayStation 4 controller, so you won't have to spend much time getting used to it.

Another plus is that the buttons aren't loose — a woefully common issue with lower-quality controllers. The L2/LT and R2/RT triggers are tight and responsive, too. In other words, when you pick this thing up, it feels "right."

Unfortunately, the controller isn't compatible with a large number of games.

The Rotor Riot recommends downloading compatible games from the Ludu Mapp app, which attempts to compile a large portion of the controller-compatible games on Google Play into one place. Regrettably, it doesn't do it well — not all of the games on Ludu Mapp are compatible with the controller, which is head-scratching at best.

I downloaded games from both Ludu Mapp and Google Play itself to put the Rotor Riot through its paces, but came out disappointed in most tests. Either the controller didn't work at all, one stick would work, or only the face buttons would function.

A real frustration.

I tested a number of games with the controller, including PUBG Mobile, Fortnite, five of the Sega Classics titles, and some random downloads that stated they were compatible with controllers.

The only game in which I got the Rotor Riot to work close to perfectly was with Sonic the Hedgehog Classic, and I was disappointed to find that the right direction on the D-pad was broken. The other directions work fine, but I can't hold right on the D-pad to move — it registers as a single press and nothing more.

This is very likely a manufacturing defect in this individual controller, but it was disheartening after struggling to find a game I could actually play in the first place.

Interestingly, this compatibility didn't carry over to some other Sega Classics titles despite them all running on a Sega Genesis emulator. For instance, Phantasy Star wouldn't accept any directional inputs.

The Rotor Riot impresses with its presentation but unfortunately, it can't stand the actual gameplay test due to so many games just not being compatible with it. If you could do more with it, I'd be much more positive. But as it is, the Rotor Riot isn't worth the price for playing games on your phone or tablet.

Perhaps this is better left as a drone controller.

Pros

Feels sturdy

Buttons don't feel loose or too firm

Mount is easy to use

Cons

Very few fully compatible games even on the controller's companion app, rendering it almost useless

D-pad feels very stiff, and the right direction on D-pad was broken on review unit

A new year means a new slew of gaming mice and other assorted hardware vying for your collective attention. As expected, Corsair is right in the mix with the Corsair Harpoon RGB wireless gaming mouse.

Upon initial inspection, the Harpoon is nothing special, but with everything it delivers for $50, it might be one of the best budget gaming mice on the market today.

First thing's first, though: the Harpoon is incredibly adaptable. We're sort of past the argument on the superiority of wired mice over wireless ones when it comes to competitive gaming, but let's not pretend that old habits don't die hard. While the Harpoon offers smooth, lag-free movement when in wireless mode, the ability to go wired is a nice plus.

As I've mentioned before, the Harpoon isn't much to look at. There's a flat black, minimalist design at work with only the barest bit of flash (the RGB logo on the heel of the mouse).

The feel of the design, however, speaks for itself. While it isn't shaped specifically to cater to any particular style of game, there's a universal feel that is comforting. The rubber grips and textured mouse wheel feel terrific, and the buttons are responsive and solid.

The thumb buttons feel responsive as well, and also do a terrific job of being placed at just the right angle to avoid hitting them unnecessarily. The same could be said for the top middle button, which honestly feels the most solid of them all. It's got a nice, hearty clunk feel to it, which I personally enjoy using for heavier weapons or ultimates.

The Corsair Harpoon Wireless is damn lightweight, coming in at just 99 grams, which makes it a good deal lighter than most gaming mice I run into. This isn't only good for the notion of strain and the often unconscious difference that a gaming mouse can make in movement, but it also helps when it comes to daily wear and tear: the Harpoon Wireless is small, unassuming, and lacks a lot of the extra plastic accouterments that can bang into speakers, keyboards, and any other assorted crap that those of us with smaller desks keep handy.

At up to 60 hours, the battery life on this guy is more than a little impressive. My instinct, like many of you, is to wonder why I'd need a mouse for 60 straight hours. But then flashbacks of power outages, terrible hotels, and late electricity bills comes floating back to me in a huge wave, and I remember that age-old adage: "you never know."

Pros:

Wireless at an amazing price

Practical design with great button placement

Comfortable construction and rubberized plastic

The ability to go wireless or wired on a whim

Cons:

Spartan design might put off flashier gamers

Not a lot of extras

Overall, this is a terrific mouse for general gaming. If you're looking for something with a ton of extras and showy lights, you're not going to find what you're looking for in this one. But if you want a versatile, sharp gaming mouse that works for a variety of games for less than $100, this is a great place to start in 2019.

We wanted a bunch of new games and tech for 2019, and Corsair delivereth a mere week in. What a way to get started.

The first of their latest gaming mice that I reviewed was the Corsair Harpoon RGB Wireless: a plucky little wireless mouse that proves that greatness can be delivered in small packages.

Its cousin, the Corsair IronClaw RGB, on the other hand, is nowhere near as subtle, and I sort of love it for that.

Released on January 7th, 2019, the IronClaw is billed as a FPS/MOBA specific gaming mouse, but I don't think it would be controversial to suggest that this mouse is brilliant for any sort of gaming.

Right off the bat, this mouse fit my hand perfectly. There's a smooth, rubberized feel to the thumb pad that's matched by the roller wheel. I think the wheel was my favorite part about the mouse: no joke. It's set into a nice, wide berth between the left and right mouse buttons, and that sense of space gives the wheel the feeling of a whole lot of freedom. That freedom might come with a price down the line, however, as I can imagine a gaping hole in the top of your mouse could slowly become a bottomless pit for crumbs, dust, and unlucky insects over time. You may want to clean this bad boy regularly.

While MOBAs might not be my thing, I can see how this mouse in particular might work brilliantly for FPS games and other timer-based combat experiences like those that you'd see in MMOs likeWorld of Warcraft. The mouse has seven programmable buttons, which lends itself to a ton of flexibility for loadouts and spell-heavy games. And an on-board storage system for your layouts and customization means you won't have to worry about travel or swapping between computers with this one.

That size I mentioned before is also going to come into play here: already I'm a huge fan of how well the mouse fits into my hand in an unconscious sort of way. I would be willing to bet that this mouse would be popular among those who have larger hands and can't quite cope with some of the smaller gaming mice out there. Despite all of that clunk, it still only tops out the scales at a mere 105 grams: definitely not the heaviest I've ever seen.

For all of its comfort and features, the IronClaw RGB is a fairly Spartan-looking piece of hardware, which seems to be a common theme among other mice and keyboards that Corsair has designed in the past. The IronClaw has a RGB back lighting setup which is very nice, but limited to three key areas: the heel of the mouse, the wheel's fitting area, and a small spot near the thumb. Everything else is a standard issue black plastic that offers very little in the way of bells and whistles.

Honestly, I see the minimalist design as a feature. Look: we all want our gaming rig to look like it was jury-rigged from an Alpha-Centaurian pirate ship (or is that just me?), but you can't argue with quality. Give me subtle and effective over loud and half-assed any day of the week.

We asked for something fun to try out in the first week of 2019, and Corsair more than delivered. There's plenty of the year left, but I'd say that this is my favorite mouse so far. It's comfortable to use and more than able to handle fast-paced titles.

The addition of mouse and keyboard compatibility for the Xbox One last November may have given players the opportunity to take advantage of the gaming experience most PC players are familiar with — for the most part.

The problem with mouse and keyboard gaming on a console is that it's never been exactly comfortable when it works. Players sitting on a couch must find a way to balance their keyboard and have somewhere to put their mouse, too. Often, you end up hunched over the peripherals on your coffee table or on the floor.

With the announcement of the Turret for Xbox One, Razer endeavors to solve this perennial problem. The new peripheral is a proper Razer keyboard with a hideaway magnetic tray for the mouse. This allows players to keep the mouse in line with the keyboard rather than trying to use the mouse from the seat next to them, the arm of the couch, placing it on a book, or trying to find some other workaround.

The tray features two different strength magnets that hold the mouse in place, even if the keyboard and tray are held vertically.

To make things seemingly easier, the entire Turret system connects to the Xbox One via a single USB dongle, meaning players take up fewer USB slots. The keyboard charges via a USB-C port, while the mouse uses Micro-USB and plugs into the keyboard's side.

It should be noted that players are likely going to want to charge their device daily, as it only has about 11 hours of battery life if Razer's Chroma RGB is on. With the lights off, Razer says players can just about quadruple that.

The Turret for Xbox One is available to purchase via the Razer site and will run players $249.99. That's not too bad when you take into consideration that it's both a keyboard and a mouse — and each can be pretty pricy on their own.

Looking for a list of Xbox One games that are compatible with mouse and keyboard, and specifically the Razer Turret? Be sure to head over to this list.

]]>7 Xbox One Games That Need Mouse and Keyboard Support — But Don'thttps://www.gameskinny.com/8xvso/7-xbox-one-games-that-need-mouse-and-keyboard-support-but-dont
https://www.gameskinny.com/8xvso/7-xbox-one-games-that-need-mouse-and-keyboard-support-but-dontWed, 09 Jan 2019 17:30:41 -0500Ty Arthur[{"image":"https://res.cloudinary.com/lmn/image/upload/c_limit,h_360,w_640/e_sharpen:100/f_auto,fl_lossy,q_auto/v1/gameskinnyc/b/a/c/backcov-51645.jpg","thumb":"https://res.cloudinary.com/lmn/image/upload/c_limit,h_85,w_97/e_sharpen:100/f_auto,fl_lossy,q_auto/v1/gameskinnyc/b/a/c/backcov-51645.jpg","type":"slide","id":"193260","description":"

While these are the seven games we'd like to see get mouse and keyboard support on the Xbox One, there are easily dozens more that would work well with more input options.

\n

Of course, personal preference plays a large role here; most players tend to agree that Superhot actually works better with a controller than a mouse, for instance.

\n

What games do you want to see make it to the list? Let us know in the comments section below!

Ark: Survival Evolved

\n

You had to know this one was coming, right? Ark may have been on consoles for quite a while now, but a big portion of the playerbase first jumped in on the early access PC version and is much more used to those controls.

\n

When you have such a sprawling, complicated crafting and breeding system like with Ark, it becomes unwieldy when you cram it all into a handful of buttons.

\n

Keyboard and mouse input opens up Ark's options considerably, although it's worth noting the console version isn't terrible by any means. The devs even somehow managed to make Ark work fairly well with even fewer buttons on the iOS version.

Cities: Skylines

\n

It almost feels like we didn't need to list this one because it's such an obvious contender.

\n

Any overhead city management sim is always going to have a smoother experience when mouse and keyboard are involved; easily scrolling with a mouse instead of relying on a control stick is always better.

\n

The ability to quickly click options in the in-game list instead of having to scroll through them with a controller just makes the gameplay much more satisfying. That's not to mention the accuracy a mouse brings to the table; building roads can be tricky in the PC version of the game, but it's a nightmare on console.

It's beyond clear this style of game is meant to be played with a mouse and keyboard, much like a classic cRPG. The experience just changes too radically when you try to force this type gameplay onto a limited-input controller.

Wasteland 2

\n

All of those killer old-school, Renaissance-style cRPGs that have arrived thanks to crowdfunding have been making their way to consoles lately. There's no question that they are far better experiences when you ditch the controller.

\n

For a tactical RPG like Wasteland 2, the ability to roll over and click on-screen elements, or to quickly tap keyboard shortcuts, is a huge part of the game's overall feel and style. There's just something lost when playing with a controller.

\n

Follow-up Wasteland 3 (set in the snowy post-apocalyptic Colorado landscape) will drop later this year, and if history is any indication, we can expect console versions to follow at some point. And all of those should support mouse and keyboard, especially in 2019.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4

\n

This one is a matter of personal preference, but there's a colossal crop of players who prefer playing FPS games with mouse and keyboard, primarily for increased control and accuracy. With the addition of a battle royale mode, mouse support for the Xbox One version of Black Ops 4 has become even more of a necessity.

\n

It's obvious why Fortnite was one of the first games to receive mouse and keyboard support. If you've played both the PC and console version of the battle royale king, you know it's easier to throw up walls or use items quickly by using side mouse buttons or specific key bindings that you've set yourself instead of relying on the game's vanilla bindings.

\n

Blackout may not have the same building aspects as Fortnite, but there are still plenty of other battle royale elements that would make this a much smoother experience with a keyboard and high-end gaming mouse.

\n

That's not even mentioning the boon this would be for traditional multiplayer matches.

Halo Wars 2

\n

This one is beyond obvious. RTS games were always meant to be played with mice and keyboards in mind; console controllers were ostensibly tacked on later to varying degrees of success (anybody remember Starcraft 64?).

\n

Players have been begging for mouse control for Halo Wars 2 since it first landed, and this seems like a title that must be in the next crop of K+M-compatible announcements.

\n

It's worth noting that players have actually been hacking together unsupported third-party solutions for this problem since the game released, but they usually get banned when playing online, so official mouse and keyboard support would be a godsend to the player base.

The crossover event we've all been waiting for has arrived: USB mouse and keyboard support for Xbox One is finally here.

\n

Of course, there are some caveats, unfortunately.

\n

While you can plug any USB mouse and keyboard into the console and hope for the best, the only officially licensed device right now is the Razer Turret -- a wireless keyboard/mouse combo that runs at a whopping $249 and was low-key released during CES 2019.

\n

That's a hefty price tag, but it definitely ticks a lot of the right boxes for those looking for a more PC-centric experience on console. Not only does it have the right green/black aesthetic to go with your Xbox One, it also brings the satisfying chunk chunk chunk sounds of a mechanical keyboard to your living room. Plus, it's got a ton of RGB backlighting options to go along with it.

Quite a few more titles are set to receive support in the coming months, and it seems obvious that some games are more suited for this input method than others. In particular, there are a host of games that were ported from PC and were obviously made with the keyboard and mouse control schemes in mind.

\n

Here, we've rounded up our top 7 Xbox One games that need keyboard support, from RPGs to RTSes and beyond.

"}]]]>What Xbox One Games Can I Play With Mouse and Keyboard?https://www.gameskinny.com/ch18r/what-xbox-one-games-can-i-play-with-mouse-and-keyboard
https://www.gameskinny.com/ch18r/what-xbox-one-games-can-i-play-with-mouse-and-keyboardWed, 09 Jan 2019 11:54:04 -0500GS_Staff

In September 2018, Microsoft announced that the Xbox One would be receiving mouse and keyboard support. Even though Microsoft's goal was to make console gaming "comfortable" for every type of gamer, the company acknowledged that not all Xbox One games would automatically have the functionality patched in; in fact, some would most likely never see the capability added.

Instead, Microsoft left it up for the developers to decide. In a post made on the Xbox Wiremaking the announcement, Jason Ronald, Director of Program Management for Xbox Platform, said that "It’s important to note that mouse and keyboard support for games is added on a title-by-title basis, entirely at developers’ discretion."

Fast forward a few months later, and a handful of games now feature the functionality, with a larger handful confirmed to be receiving it in the near future.

To help clarify things, we've put together a growing list of current and upcoming Xbox One games that feature the functionality. You can find them below.

Games That Currently Support Mouse and Keyboard

Fortnite

Minecraft

Warframe

Bomber Crew

Deep Rock Galactic

Strange Brigade

Warhammer: Vermintide 2

War Thunder

X-Morph Defense

Games That Will Support Mouse and Keyboard

Gears of War 5

Gears Tactics

Paladins

Realm Royale

SMITE

Sea of Thieves

DayZ

Roblox

The Sims 4

Surviving Mars

Warface

Minion Master

Moonlighter

Children of Morta

Wargroove

Vigor

---

As of this writing, there is only one official mouse and keyboard combo for the Xbox One: the Razer Turret, which currently runs at $250.

Previously, you could hook a keyboard to your Xbox One, but it didn't always work; that's not to mention there was no way to use keyboards while playing games. What's more, mice were no dice on the platform.

This list will be updated as more titles support mouse and keyboard functionality. In the meantime, be sure to check out our list of games that should get support next. Let us know which games you'd like to see added.

When it comes to using light guns in video games, there's a growing problem. True light guns, which were made to work with old-school CRT TVs (the big fat TVs of yesteryear) are pretty much an extremely niche technology in the console gaming space.

That is until now.

As it turns out, peripheral maker Hyperkin has an HD-friendly light gun in the works. Named the "Hyper Blaster HD," the peripheral will work with any game designed for light guns. Yes, that includes non-HD games like Duck Hunt.

An actual image of the new device hasn't been released at this point, but it's certain the company is waiting for a full reveal at CES later this week; it's part of a lineup of items the company plans to show off at the conference, Including a RetroN DIY kit for SNES that makes use of the Raspberry Pi.

As expected, peripheral-maker and PC parts manufacturer HyperX unveiled a handful of new gaming gear at CES 2019. Fresh off the heels of Cloud Mix release back in October, the company continues to increase its product offerings across the board, from mics to mice to headsets.

Some of the products, such as the Quadcast standalone microphone, are brand-new additions to the HyperX catalog. Others, such as the Pulsefire Raid RGB gaming mouse and the Predator DDR4 RGB 16GB RAM module, are ostensibly variants of current offerings.

Regardless of their novelty, Mark Leathem, Vice President of HyperX, said that it's the company's goal to continually design and manufacture peripherals that meet the needs of all gamers.

There’s nothing like CES to put a spotlight on the HyperX commitment to delivering high-performance gaming products for all levels of gamers.

Whether immersing yourself in a game of battle royale, battling friends while playing online basketball, or throwing down from your couch in a fighting game on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, or Xbox, the new high-performance HyperX products further enhance your gameplay experience.

While it remains to be seen how much the company's new offerings will "enhance your gameplay experience" since we haven't yet been able to get our hands on them, we do know a little bit about them and what they'll bring to the table when they release later this year.

Quadcast standalone microphone

Availability: March2019Price: $139.99

While HyperX has been making RAM, headsets, and mice for some time now, the Quadcast will be its first microphone.

Built specifically for PC, PS4 and Mac streamers, the Quadcast will come with an anti-vibration shock mount, on-mic gain control adjuster, up to four polar patterns, and tap-to-mute functionality.

Cloud Orbit/Cloud Orbit S headset

Availability: Q2 2019Price: $299.99 (Orbit); $329.99 (Orbit S)

OK, another set of HyperX headphones — this brings the current count to 10 if you count every current variant and the upcoming Alpha Purple Edition. And while that number is surely indicative of Leathem's previous promise to provide "high-performance gaming products for all levels of gamers," that's still a lot of headsets from one company.

However, what's might really set these two headsets apart from everything else HyperX has on offer is the inclusion of Audeze 100mm planar magnetic drivers and Waves NX 3D audio tech. Both of these audiophile-level technologies look to vault HyperX into the high-end headphone sonisphere if everything's pulled off just right.

Pulsefire Raid RGB gaming mouse

Availability: Q2 2019Price: $59.99

We think both the Pulsefire FPS and Pulsefire RGB are pretty great gaming mice. But not all gamers can get away with having only a few buttons at their disposal. Some, like MOBA players, just need more.

That's where, presumably, the Pulsefire Raid RGB will come in. Featuring 11 programmable buttons, the mouse is designed for customizability (among other things).

Of course, the mouse will also feature other gaming mouse staples such as customizable DPI (up to 16,000 DPI), responsive tracking, and a Pixart sensor, which is the same 3389 found in the Pulsefire Surge RGB. The mouse's Omron switches will also be rated for 20 million clicks.

Cloud Alpha Purple Edition

Availability: Q2 2019Price: $99.99

The biggest takeaway here is that the Cloud Alpha headband will be getting an upgrade, "featuring softer, more pliable leatherette." It might also be purple, but HyperX didn't say in its release.

Other than that, it appears to be essentially identical to the current Cloud Alpha.

---

HyperX also said that it has expanded the availability of the recently-released Cloud Mix headset, which can now be found worldwide.

The company also released a new 16GB module for its Predator DDR4 RGB RAM, which will be available at speeds of 3000MHz and 3200MHz starting this month for $167.

Stay tuned to GameSkinny for more on HyperX, as well as reviews for the Quadcast, Cloud Orbit/Cloud Orbit S, and Pulsefire Raid RGB.

With the recent success of the NES and SNES Classics, Nintendo has proven just how extensive the market for retro gaming truly is. That said, Nintendo is not the only company offering platforms for fans of classic games to enjoy, and My Arcade has just announced several of its own retro offerings.

The first of these releases is spawned by My Arcade's new partnership with Taito Corporation, a company known for its release of the arcade classic Space Invaders in 1978. Specifically, My Arcade is releasing mini-arcade cabinets, seven-inch tall collectible arcade consoles, featuring Bubble Bobble and Elevator Action.

Furthermore, My Arcade is expanding their collaboration with Taito by releasing two traditional handhelds. One of these Pocket Players will give players access to Bubble Bobble while the other will let them play Don Doko Don on the go.

Similarly, the company is deepening their partnership with Bandai Namco with another mini-arcade cabinet and three more handhelds. The cabinet will feature Ms. Pac-Man, and there will be individual Pocket Players for Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, and Dig Dug.

With the release of a number of games solidly established, My Arcade has also turned its attention to releasing a console and a peripheral. The console is called the Retro Champ, and it "breathes new life into retro gamers’ NES and Famicom cartridges without the need for a legacy console."

This console will allow players to enjoy their NES cartridges with mobility, featuring a built-in seven-inch screen and a three- to five-hour battery life. Additionally, the Retro Champ can be connected to a TV via an HDMI cable, and it includes a cleaning kit.

The peripheral is a wireless controller that can be connected to the recently released PlayStation Classic. The controllers that were included with the PlayStation Classic had cables measuring approximately five feet in length, and this wireless option may be a boon for those looking to get further away from their TVs.

Currently, these new products are scheduled for release on My Arcade's website and Amazon before summer. In the meantime, retro gaming fans that are attending CES in Las Vegas can demo them at My Arcade's booth until January 11.

True to the pedigree HyperX has cultivated over the years, the brand's latest headset, the Bluetooth-capable Cloud Mix, is a well-made, high-quality set of gaming cans. It's comfortable, stylish, and exceptionally functional.

In my time with the headset, it quickly became my go-to for both gaming and listening to music. Rarely, if ever, did it leave my side.

The only thing is that I received the Cloud Mix for free, courtesy of HyperX. While I could easily recommend the headset in a vacuum, it's a harder sell at the lofty price of $200. That's especially true if you consider HyperX is essentially asking you to pay $100 more than the $99 Cloud Alpha for what roughly amounts to "a Bluetooth chip, a built-in mic, and a battery".

And while I do think the Cloud Mix is a little more than that, the long and short is that you reallyneed to want Bluetooth functionality to pay the extra dough. Heck, the Cloud Flight offers fantastic wireless capabilities for $50 less, so finding where the Mix fits in isn't all that clear.

But if you still want to know what the Cloud Mix does right, and what it does wrong, keep reading.

Design

The Cloud Mix looks a lot like the Cloud, Cloud II, and Cloud Alpha. To help the headset fit more into the hybrid gaming/lifestyle category HyperX is shooting for, the headset eschews the brand's typical bright red flourishes for silver and matte black.

But unlike the Cloud Silver, everything from the headband to the aluminum frame and the plush earcups is black; the only silver to be found on the headset comes in the form of the larger-than-they-need-to-be HyperX logos emblazoned on the outside of each earcup.

Since the Cloud Mix is meant to be the most ubiquitous and portable HyperX headset to date, the headset is small all around. That wasn't such a big deal for me, but for those with larger domes and/or ears, that may be an issue.

While downsizing means the Mix weighs a featherlight 260 grams without its detachable mic and 275 grams with it, it also means that the frame isn't as wide as other headsets and the earcups only measure in at 40mm. The earcups are some of HyperX's smallest. Although they're adequately deep, even my smaller ears felt constricted on top and bottom from time to time.

Despite that, I will say that this is one of the more comfortable headsets I've worn. While some have derided the headband as disagreeable over long periods, I never felt any discomfort across the top of my head. The plush single-band headband provides plenty of cushion and the pleatherette around the earcups keeps them from exerting too much pressure across the top of the jaw.

Moving along to the headset's controls and ports, you'll find a 3.5mm jack, microphone port, built-in Bluetooth mic, and a Bluetooth multifunction button on the left earcup. On the right earcup, you'll find the Bluetooth power button, a micro-USB charge port, the Bluetooth volume buttons, and a battery status LED.

Keeping in line with its lifestyle aesthetic, none of the buttons or ports are prominent; if you were to wear this on the subway or while listening to tunes around the house, no one would know this was a gaming-first set of cans.

However, that design choice also means that some of the buttons can be difficult to find when in use. While the Bluetooth volume buttons on the right earcup are defined enough for easy recall, both the Bluetooth power button and the Bluetooth multifunction button are a bit too recessed and smooth for my liking. Eventually, you'll memorize their placement and it won't matter, but I can't help but feel it's a small oversight that could have been better designed.

Thankfully, the in-line volume wheel and mic-mute button found on the headset's 3.5mm braided cable are easy to reach when using the headset in wired mode. Both function as you'd expect, and unlike other in-line controls I've used in the past, I didn't experience any crackling or sound loss when rotating the volume wheel — even after about two months of heavy use.

Functionality

The Cloud Mix comes with a 4.2-foot detachable headset cable that's used for console gaming, and a 6.5-foot PC extension cable that connects everything to your desktop. With such cable lengths, it's possible that you might not even use the Mix's Bluetooth capabilities if you don't mind being wired to your phone or device.

Of course, you'll get the best quality from the headset's 40mm drivers in wired mode. On PC, the headset was the loudest, providing the richest tones, as would be expected. Since console sound is still transmitted wirelessly from the console to the controller, then to the headphones via the attached cable, I had to crank the volume a bit higher than I would've liked on console, leading to just a tad bit of distortion in games like Doom.

But when playing games like Battlefield 1 and 2016's Hitman on PC, I didn't notice a bit of distortion. Explosions thrummed and bullets cracked through the air; eurobeats thumped across dance floors and coins bounced off concrete with piercing metallic pings.

For the most part, I didn't notice much loss of fidelity when gaming; most sounds remained separate across the low-high spectrum. However, music is where you'll discover the Cloud Mix is a bit bass heavy and highs sometimes bleed into each other depending on what you're listening to.

Bluetooth works equally well. Although some fidelity is naturally lost across Bluetooth, there isn't a decided tonal difference between the two modes: bass tones are just as punchy and high tones still fall on the weaker side of things, much like the rest the Mix's Bluetooth has to offer.

While 32-feet of wireless range isn't shabby — I could walk around most of my 2,400-square-foot house without losing signal — it's head-scratching that the Cloud Flight provides more than twice that distance at 65 feet.

On top of that, you'll have to have a Bluetooth-ready device to even use the functionality. On the surface, this is a rather "duh" statement, but chances are only your phone or laptop is Bluetooth ready. Seeing as the Mix doesn't come with a Bluetooth dongle, hooking it up to your computer or console right out of the box — without a secondary purchase — is a very real possibility.

For a $200 headset, that's a pretty big disappointment. For the life of me, I can't feasibly understand why Hi-Res audio is a feature on this headset and a plug-n-play wireless dongle isn't. The latter is far more useful to HyperX's demographic and much more in line with the "lifestyle" ethos of the headset itself.

Ultimately, the Cloud Mix is a great headset held back by its price: the sound is solid, the design is everything you've come to expect from HyperX, and the quality is top-notch. You could do much worse than the Cloud Mix, that's for sure.

But unless you must have Bluetooth and the ability to listen to Hi-Res audio, the Cloud Alpha is just as capable as the Mix and comes in at half the price.

When I first started reviewing Bloody's B975 mechanical keyboard, I absolutely hated it. Within minutes of taking it out of the finely made rigid book boxit came in, I found every reason under the sun to banish it to the scrap heap.

Its keys were too clacky. Its screw-in wrist rest design made zero logical sense. Its keycaps were etched in a smudgy, retro-futuristic font that best resembled a hastily-drawn alien dialect.

My hangups seemed endless, so I sat down and wrote an 800-word review slamming the keyboard as inept and utterly flawed. Almost a month later, the B975 is still on my desk, having taken over as my primary board for both work and play.

Why? Because it's reliable and speedy. That doesn't mean I've completely gotten over its perplexing foibles, but it does mean that I'm willing to recognize when performance outweighs other unfortunate factors.

Design

The B975 is made of tough anodized aluminum. While it's true the chassis can take a beating and it won't show a single fingerprint or smudge, Bloody's claim that the aluminum design makes the board more "lightweight" isn't exactly 100% accurate.

Weighing in at 3.1 pounds, the B975 is about the same weight as many of the keyboards we've ever reviewed at GameSkinny. What's more, it's about 10 ounces heavier than the Corsair K95 RGB Platinum and almost a full pound heavier than the aluminum-composite Logitech G513.

Since this is a relatively average-sized board (it doesn't have extra "G" keys, dedicated keys, or volume wheels) that measures in at 444mm x 132mm x 37mm, that weight is also interesting when positioned in that framework, even if the whole chassis, including the back, is made of aluminum.

Aside from droning on about the board's weight-to-size ratio and how it's presented in Bloody's marketing materials, the B975 sports the same matte black chassis you've seen in most other gaming keyboards made in the past year or so. It's accented by shiny silver lines that break up the major sections of the board (numpad and nav keys from typing keys, and typing keys from function keys).

Flip the board over, and you'll find the B975's feet, which flip out to the right and left of the board instead of toward the top. Their wide, angled design keeps the board propped at a nice angle, while keeping it stable on every slick surface I was able to test it on.

Finally, the x-foot long braided cable comes with a nice Velcro strap that lets you easily bundle it when traveling. While this is increasingly common for most wired keyboards, it's a nice quality of life feature that's worth mentioning.

Performance

The B975 comes equipped with Light Strike optical switches, where you can either opt for the Orange tactile variety or the Brown linear variety. My review unit was equipped with Oranges, which are loud and clacky, something I don't typically prefer.

However, once I sat down to write my original 800-word review, and then after I played a few rounds of Killing Floor 2 and Paladins, I found the clack didn't really matter anymore.

While the overall efficacy of Light Strike switches has been debated, the Orange Light Strike tactiles of the B975 felt less bumpy than other tactile switches, such as those found in the Logitech G513. And while I didn't find the G513's keys to be considerably bumpy, the way Light Strikes are constructed has a lot to do with why they feel extremely smooth.

Since Light Strike switches don't have metal contacts and instead use light to process commands, they intrinsically remove a friction point from the equation. When testing the Romer-G tacticles in the G513 alongside the LK Light Strike tactiles in the B975 side by side, the LK Light Strikes didn't feel as sticky as the Romer-Gs.

Would you notice the difference without physically testing each switch side by side? That's debatable. However, coupled with a low 1.5mm actuation point, this specific construction means that the B975's keys are effortless and, in theory, cut down on fatigue. Not once during my time with the board did my fingers get tired; neither did I feel as if the keys resisted my presses, causing me to have an overall lighter keystroke style.

With full N-key rollover and 100% anti-ghosting (both things we've come to expect out of mechanicals as of late), the B975 effortlessly registered all of my keystrokes in game. I was easily able to strafe while also moving forward, and I was also able to easily switch between weapons on the move.

While rollover and anti-ghosting can be problematic on some keyboards because of how the keycaps are spaced on the board, I didn't find that to be the case here. Except for some inaccurate typing on my part, I didn't find myself accidentally hitting unintended keys.

Lastly, the B975 is water resistant. Like the Corsair K68, it repels water well, but instead of using channels like the K68, it uses a "water resistant noncoating" to keep water from infiltrating key areas. I tested if this was the case by dumping a whole 8 oz. glass of water on the board, and it worked perfectly even after letting the water sit for 10 minutes.

Functionality

Whereas the B975 performs well, it does present a few functionality concerns. The most glaring of these is the Netscape-era Key Dominator software.

Here, you can change RGB lighting and presets along the full color spectrum, re-program keys, and set macros. While it has everything you'd expect in a fully-functional software companion, it's all presented in an outdated and unappealing way.

For starters, you can't expand the window after opening it. This is especially frustrating when using the software on higher resolution monitors because it makes the already needlessly stylized fonts that much harder to read.

The baffling aesthetic choices continue with grey font on black, strangely watermarked backgrounds; about half a dozen different (and illogically placed) font types ranging from weirdly embossed gothic to laughably off-brand comic sans; icons that don't have any discernible function; and a scroll bar that don't function because there's not enough text for it actually to need to scroll.

Aside from the copious issues I have the Key Dominator's presentation, it's equally as difficult to recommend the software from a functional perspective as well. If you have another Bloody product, such as the MP-60R mousepad or the SP80 mouse, you'll have to manually sync RGB schemes and illumination patterns as there is separate software for the keyboard and the mouse and mousepad.

While you can change the function of any key, as well as assign macros such as emulate mouse button or open program "X", navigating and working within each of the program's sub-windows is overly complicated even if you've used software like this before. I feel for anyone whose first experience with keyboard software is this convoluted quagmire.

Another qualm is that the software opens leaves a small, moveable overlay on the screen even when the main window is closed out. Logically, you would be able to click this overlay to bring the primary window back up, but from what I can tell, the overlay serves zero purpose. On top of that, you can't remove the overlay without fully closing out of the software entirely; it icon even stays visible while playing games in the Steam client (you can see what I'm talking about in the screenshot below).

Despite it's problems, I will admit that the options available for both lighting and macros are rather extensive. In essence, you can do whatever you want with the B975, all the way down to programming your own macros from complete scratch. While it may be overwhelming for some, others will find that the Key Dominator provides a breadth of customization well worth the overall hassle of using the software.

Pros:

Durable chassis construction and waterproof

Switches are responsive and rated for 100 million clicks

Fully progammable with N-key rollover and 100% anti-ghosting

Cons:

Wrist rest is uncomfortable, and screwing it into the chassis to attach it makes little sense.

Lack of dedicated game and media keys

Obtuse and poorly designed Key Dominator software

Throughout writing this review, I went back and forth on the score. Finally, I settled on a 7 because although I think there are keyboards with much better presentation and software on the market, the B975's performance puts it on the knife's edge of killer. If you're looking for a high-performance board with low latency and comfortable switches, you'll want to consider the B975.

However, at $150, you should consider wisely as there are equally as good, if not better, keyboards available that have more polished presentation and better accompanying software. At the end of the day, it's just hard to overlook the quality of the competition in the price bracket.

You can pick up Bloody's B975 mechanical keyboard for $149.99 on Amazon.

When it comes to the 28 inch BenQ EL2870U 4K gaming monitor, an expression I kept hearing over and over was a variation on "gamers on a budget." When you have a look at the price tag, the EL2870U certainly seems to fit the bill (it's currently just under $400 on Amazon).

This monitor's got power, a decent display, and a good size, but there are a few issues that keep it from being a must-have for budget gamers.

Straight out of the box, the BenQ EL2870U is an impressive piece of hardware. The flat gunmetal grey shell is a handsome addition to any gaming rig. That impression continues when you plug it in. The display has a softness that is very welcome to eyes that spend a lot of time in front of a monitor, which seems to be a benefit of BenQ's advertised Free-Sync Eye Care.

When the games get started, however, it gets hard to ignore several little issues.

That softness that I previously mentioned makes for a sometimes cloudy look, particularly in more colorful games. Perhaps it's a trade? Fewer late-night headaches in exchange for a little sharpness? Your age (and access to Gunnar shades) might make a difference in whether this matters or not.

It's true that the monitor's display can be adjusted easily enough, but I found it to consistently hold true to this gentle level of brightness.

The UHD resolution on this sucker provides a colossal native resolution of 3840 by 2160, but all that resolution comes at a cost that gamers who are on a budget might not be quite ready to pay.

There's an irony of a monitor with a price-point for those unable to shell out grand for their display: The fact that the money you save might need to be spent on a new video card to full appreciate your monitor! You're going to need a good GPU to handle this resolution, especially if you play a lot of graphically intensive AAA titles.

With some fun extras like built in speakers, the BenQ EL2870U is indeed a terrific monitor for the money, but be ready to adjust your settings to make sure that you're getting the most out of this model.

For gamers, the trend of releasing mini-retro consoles loaded with classic games is a pretty sweet thing. But, let's admit it, not everything about old-school gaming is still awesome -- like literally being tied to the console by your controller cables.

Instead, most of us would much rather sit on our couches a reasonable distance away from the behemoths that our TVs have become. So, of course, the controller complete with a five-foot cord that comes with the PlayStation Classic isn't exactly ideal.

The good news is, there's a solution for that.

8BitDo, a third-party company specializing in controllers and adapters, has created a wireless USB adapter that plugs into the PS Classic and works with any controller via BlueTooth -- meaning you can use your PlayStation 4 controller just fine.

Other controllers that work with it are the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller and anything 8BitDo makes.

The adapter also works with multiple platforms, including the Nintendo Switch, PC, and Mac. Those looking for a similar solution for their SNES and NES Classic console systems can find separate adapters for those on the8BitDo site as well.

Just because you're playing old-school games doesn't mean you have to play them old-school.

With a name that reads like a Brit complaining about his gaming hardware (just read it out loud in an accent if you don't believe me), and a logo that seems to whisper malevolently "we know," the Bloody SP80 Bleeding Edge Gaming Mouse gets lots of bonus points for marketing itself to the youthful gamers out there who are most interested in showing off the flashing lights and hard edges of their computer setup.

Sadly, for the gamer who's looking for more under the hood, Bloody responds with an overwhelming "meh."

I will say right off the bat that the SP80 feels good to play with. The textures on the mouse are varied, which sounds like it would be annoying, but it seems pretty well thought-out. The top of the mouse has a nice soft-touch feel to it, while the left and right wall panels are more textured, allowing for a nice grip. The bottom of the mouse is laid out with four metal feet (as opposed to rubber or plastic ones you'll see on less gaming-focused mice) that make movements feel smooth. The roller functionality is smooth. It's all smooth.

Beyond that, I'm afraid, there's not much to recommend about the Blood SP80. The macro functions and thumb click buttons are perfectly adequate. Bloody themselves promise 1:1 response times, but it felt absolutely no different from most gaming-centric mice I've used in the past. This would be all there was to say about that, if it weren't for my left mouse button suddenly double-clicking automatically. This is particularly amusing considering the fact that Bloody's marketing material for this mouse in particularly proudly proclaims that it has "anti double click" technology. At this rate, the 10 million click performance I've also been promised has been effectively cut in half.

Even with this bug in the hardware, it's not like I have a ton to complain about when it comes to the Blood SP80. But I don't have anything that gets me excited, either. After playing several games with this mouse, its proclamations of tech-marketing words like "Light Strike Optical Switches" feel like just more terminology for the same old stuff.

I think when you look into Bloody's other mice (there are literally dozens of them, and outside of their shells they seem fairly identical), you start to understand the hook: a sense of quantity over quality. There are so many different Bloody mice to choose from, and they're black and red and have skulls and say "Headshot!" and stuff like that.

Call me a cynic, but the Bloody SP80 Bleeding Edge Gaming Mouse feels like another example of form over function.

Gamers on the go now have a new, more convenient way to take quality gaming audio with them. Today, Turtle Beach announced Battle Buds -- a high-performance earbud and mic set designed with gaming in mind.

The Battle Buds feature a removable boom microphone for in-game chat -- or taking calls. They also have 10mm speakers for a full range of sound and a standard 3.5mm connection. This means they're compatible with almost all mobile devices as well as Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and desktops.

To provide users with the best control over their Battle Buds, they include an inline controller. This means volume controls including mic muting and a multifunction button (for devices that support it) are easily accessible.

At launch, Battle Buds come in two color combinations: white with teal accents and black with silver accents.

Battle Buds are available exclusively at Target or via the Turtle Beach site today. They run $29.95 and are available just in time for the holidays.

If there's one true downside of PC gaming, it's that taking your games with you is difficult at best. The good news is, someone's working to fix that. Soon, SMACH Z, a handheld console, will allow PC gamers to take their games with them on the go.

After two years of development, the SMACH Z team is ready to take their device to production, beginning in early 2019. Anyone who backed the project doesn't have much longer to wait to get their hands on one. (Everyone else will have to wait a bit longer.)

The SMASH Z is a Windows or Linux machine and will connect to any game distribution platform -- including Steam, GOG, and Origin. It even allows users to use basic PC programs like Excel.

The device features a 6-inch high-definition touch screen, AMD Radeon Vega 8 graphics, and hardware based on AMD Ryzen Embedded. There's a solid amount of storage for a portable device, as well as RAM.

There are two versions of the SMACH Z. The first runs $699, and offers a smaller amount of RAM and hard drive space. The second -- known as the SMACH Z Pro -- costs $899 and includes a 5 MPx camera in addition to the larger memory and storage.

More information on the device and how to obtain one of your very own is available on the SMACH Z site.